Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mermaids of Hollywood

About a year ago (I think) I posted about a photo shoot done with the Kardashian girls and mentioned that a photographer was photographing celebrities as mermaids for a book: Mermaids of Hollywood. Unfortunately, as of right now, the book is only available as an iphone/ibook app!

Text from the book:

"Chronicles of Mermaids have been told for centuries in the form of legends and fairytales. Images of this sea queen have haunted artists in their efforts to bring the beauty, sexuality and mystery of the mermaid to life. The role of mythology is ever changing in society and it is with this in mind that photographer Mark Anderson has captured contemporary images of this mythical creature as she may appear in today’s society.

We're all familiar with the playful modern mermaid of Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid and of Darryl Hannah’s depiction of the human/animal creature in Splash. But lurking behind these light figures is the sadness and mystery of the mermaid's plight. Using over 60 female stars of the entertainment world, Photographer Mark Anderson brings us photos that weave together a never before seen perspective on what life could be like if Mermaids lived amongst us. His fantastical representations place the mermaid in often-unexplored territories to expose the roles to which we assign modern women: as sexualized beings, as temptresses, as mothers/daughters, and as creatures themselves constrained and created by myth"

I find the images all very interesting and would love to ask him what was the thought process behind each picture. The mermaids are certainly placed in some everyday situations and there are definitely some there just for laughs (the Kardashian Sardine pic.) I do think that there maybe a few too many sad mermaids though. What's your opinion?

Ogden Nash

Say not the mermaid is a myth,I knew one once named Mrs. Smith.She stood while playing cards or knitting:Mermaids are not equipped for sitting.

Swimmers

ClustrMaps

Mathew Arnold

'We shall see, while above us
The waves roar and whirl,
A ceiling of amber,
A pavement of pearl.
Singing, 'Here came a mortal,
But faithless was she:
And alone dwell for ever
The kings of the sea.'

Afred Lord Tennyson

I would be a mermaid fair;I would sing to myself the whole of the day;With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;And still as I comb’d I would sing and say,“Who is it loves me? who loves not me?”I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall,Low adown, low adown,From under my starry sea-bud crownLow adown and around,And I should look like a fountain of goldSpringing aloneWith a shrill inner sound,Over the throneIn the midst of the hall;Till that great sea-snake under the seaFrom his coiled sleeps in the central deepsWould slowly trail himself sevenfoldRound the hall where I sate, and look in at the gateWith his large calm eyes for the love of me.And all the mermen under the seaWould feel their immortalityDie in their hearts for the love of me.

Team Zissou card

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Matthea Harvey

The straightforward mermaid starts every sentence with “Look . . . ” This comes from being raised in a sea full of hooks. She wants to get points 1, 2, and 3 across, doesn’t want to disappear like a river into the ocean. When she’s feeling despairing, she goes to eddies at the mouth of the river and tries to comb the water apart with her fingers. The straightforward mermaid has already said to five sailors, “Look, I don’t think this is going to work,” before sinking like a sullen stone. She’s supposed to teach Rock Impersonation to the younger mermaids, but every beach field trip devolves into them trying to find shells to match their tail scales. They really love braiding. “Look,” says the straightforward mermaid. “Your high ponytails make you look like fountains, not rocks.” Sometimes she feels like a third gender—preferring primary colors to pastels, the radio to singing. At least she’s all mermaid: never gets tired of swimming, hates the thought of socks.

A word about the Images

Many of the images I've used on this blog have been found over years and years of looking at mermaids (plenty are my own though.) I've asked for permission for most but occasionally I don't remember the source. If you find an image here posted that you don't want up (due to your hard work scanning or drawing it) please email me at vonthehalfshell@yahoo.com

You are watching live video of the "Ocean Voyager" exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Ga.